Donna Matlach is a helper. She has spent a good part of her life needing help, but she also gives it back.
Matlach, who suffers from severe asthma, understands chronic illness. She has had more than one near-death experience, and she lives her life in a bit of limbo. And because she doesn’t know if she will have a major asthma attack or if it will amount to much, she hangs in the balance.
Or so you could imagine. Instead, Matlach travels the country speaking about asthma and other chronic illness. She also has a doctorate in ministry and is an ordained minister. She is on the Fountain Hills crisis response team. She has written two books and is working on a third. She does not let her illness slow her down.
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Donna Matlach is a helper. She has spent a good part of her life needing help, but she also gives it back.
Matlach, who suffers from severe asthma, understands chronic illness. She has had more than one near-death experience, and she lives her life in a bit of limbo. And because she doesn’t know if she will have a major asthma attack or if it will amount to much, she hangs in the balance.
Or so you could imagine. Instead, Matlach travels the country speaking about asthma and other chronic illness. She also has a doctorate in ministry and is an ordained minister. She is on the Fountain Hills crisis response team. She has written two books and is working on a third. She does not let her illness slow her down.
“I told God, because He has given me several chances at life, I would do something to help others,” Matlach said.
One of the ways she helps is through counseling. She is a member of the First Baptist Church of Fountain Hills. Pastor Tony Pierce has provided a space for her to use for counseling.
“I believe that often, people who need counseling don’t need more pills, but they need to talk about how their disease affects them, their family, their life,” Matlach said. “I can provide that.”
The first visit to her is free to determine whether the patient and she are compatible.
“I counsel strictly by the Bible,” she said. “That is my training.”
Her practice is called “Breath of Faith.” Appointments may be made by calling 716-997-1969.
Matlach is now on a regimen of medication that helps with her severe asthma. She has traveled widely to participate in clinical trials, as well as to learn more about her disease and to find clinicians who can help her live her best life.
After visiting 12 hospitals throughout the U.S., she found a pulmonologist in Pittsburgh, Pa., with whom she works closely to manage her illness.
She now lives in Fountain Hills after living most of her life in Buffalo, N.Y.
“My asthma is primarily triggered by cold and humidity,” she said. “We relocated to Arizona for the dry air.”
After moving to Arizona, the Matlachs rescued two dogs, including Donna’s beloved Juliette. She is being trained as a service dog, and Donna said she is hopeful her companion animal can help in crisis situations.
“If I am having an exacerbation (an asthma attack), I want Juliette to be able to bring me my phone so I can call 9-1-1,” Matlach said. “That would be a lifesaving task. She already is aware of my illness and my symptoms.”
Matlach’s husband, Charlie, a dentist, is now a director at A.T. Still University of Health Sciences in Mesa.
In addition to educating others with chronic illness, she wants to educate professionals who work with people suffering from “hidden” diseases.
“People can’t see asthma like you can see a broken arm,” she said. “Treating that is obvious. Treating something like severe asthma is not as obvious.”
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